This bill, known as the "Bring Our Heroes Home Act," aims to create the Missing Armed Forces and Civilian Personnel Records Collection at the National Archives. Its primary purpose is to preserve and ensure the expeditious public disclosure of all Federal Government records concerning missing Armed Forces and civilian personnel. The Act emphasizes a strong presumption of declassification for these records, facilitating historical and public research, particularly for families seeking information about their loved ones. An independent Missing Armed Forces and Civilian Personnel Records Review Board is established to oversee this critical process. Government offices are mandated to identify, locate, and prepare copies of all relevant missing personnel records for transmission to the Archivist. They must certify that thorough searches have been conducted and that no records have been withheld without proper justification, with a strict prohibition against destroying, altering, or mutilating any such records. Information previously made public cannot be reclassified or withheld under this Act. Agencies proposing to withhold or substantially redact records must submit an unclassified report justifying the decision by demonstrating clear and demonstrable harm that outweighs the public interest. The Review Board is responsible for considering and rendering decisions on agency requests to postpone disclosure, striving to release records fully or in segregable parts, substitutes, or summaries. It possesses broad powers, including directing agencies to transmit records, requiring additional information or testimony, and subpoenaing documents or private persons. While the Review Board makes final determinations on disclosure, the President retains ultimate non-delegable authority to require disclosure or postponement. Any presidential postponement, however, must be justified in writing and is subject to periodic review and eventual declassification requirements. Disclosure can be postponed only under narrow, specified exceptions, primarily related to national security, intelligence activities, or foreign relations, with stricter criteria for older records. Additional exceptions protect the identity of living confidential sources, prevent unwarranted invasions of personal privacy, or avoid harm to military survival techniques. Crucially, the bill mandates that all missing personnel records, and information within them, be publicly disclosed in full within 10 years of the Review Board's establishment, unless the President certifies continued postponement is necessary based on clear and convincing evidence of harm. The Archivist will establish criteria for record transmission and prepare a guidebook for the Collection, while congressional committees maintain ongoing oversight jurisdiction. The Review Board is authorized to appoint an Executive Director and staff to manage its operations. The Review Board is scheduled to terminate four years after its members are sworn in, at which point all its records will be transferred to the Archivist for inclusion in the Collection. The bill also encourages the Attorney General and Secretary of State to seek the release of relevant information held by courts or foreign governments.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Government Operations and Politics
Bring Our Heroes Home Act
USA119th CongressHR-6723| House
| Updated: 12/15/2025
This bill, known as the "Bring Our Heroes Home Act," aims to create the Missing Armed Forces and Civilian Personnel Records Collection at the National Archives. Its primary purpose is to preserve and ensure the expeditious public disclosure of all Federal Government records concerning missing Armed Forces and civilian personnel. The Act emphasizes a strong presumption of declassification for these records, facilitating historical and public research, particularly for families seeking information about their loved ones. An independent Missing Armed Forces and Civilian Personnel Records Review Board is established to oversee this critical process. Government offices are mandated to identify, locate, and prepare copies of all relevant missing personnel records for transmission to the Archivist. They must certify that thorough searches have been conducted and that no records have been withheld without proper justification, with a strict prohibition against destroying, altering, or mutilating any such records. Information previously made public cannot be reclassified or withheld under this Act. Agencies proposing to withhold or substantially redact records must submit an unclassified report justifying the decision by demonstrating clear and demonstrable harm that outweighs the public interest. The Review Board is responsible for considering and rendering decisions on agency requests to postpone disclosure, striving to release records fully or in segregable parts, substitutes, or summaries. It possesses broad powers, including directing agencies to transmit records, requiring additional information or testimony, and subpoenaing documents or private persons. While the Review Board makes final determinations on disclosure, the President retains ultimate non-delegable authority to require disclosure or postponement. Any presidential postponement, however, must be justified in writing and is subject to periodic review and eventual declassification requirements. Disclosure can be postponed only under narrow, specified exceptions, primarily related to national security, intelligence activities, or foreign relations, with stricter criteria for older records. Additional exceptions protect the identity of living confidential sources, prevent unwarranted invasions of personal privacy, or avoid harm to military survival techniques. Crucially, the bill mandates that all missing personnel records, and information within them, be publicly disclosed in full within 10 years of the Review Board's establishment, unless the President certifies continued postponement is necessary based on clear and convincing evidence of harm. The Archivist will establish criteria for record transmission and prepare a guidebook for the Collection, while congressional committees maintain ongoing oversight jurisdiction. The Review Board is authorized to appoint an Executive Director and staff to manage its operations. The Review Board is scheduled to terminate four years after its members are sworn in, at which point all its records will be transferred to the Archivist for inclusion in the Collection. The bill also encourages the Attorney General and Secretary of State to seek the release of relevant information held by courts or foreign governments.